John H. VanBergen
August 14, 1946 ~ June 17, 2023
Loving Dad, Grandpa, Brother passed away peacefully on June 17, 2023.
Preceded in death by parents, Fredrick & Audrey; brother, Edward “Rusty”.
Survived by children, Jody (Scott) Bloom, Joe (Maxine), Angie (Cory) Cove; grandchildren, Cole, Paige, Bailey, Ella, Jake, Harper; brothers, Rick (Mary), Lee; nieces, nephews, other relatives & friends.
John served his country in the Vietnam war earning the Vietnam National Defense Medal. He especially enjoyed fishing and spending time at the family cabin up north.
A service to celebrate John's life will be held 12 Noon Saturday, September 30th with visitation beginning at 11 AM at Roberts Family Funeral Home, Forest Lake. In lieu of flowers, memorials preferred to Tunnels to Towers (T2T.org) or Voyageurs National Park (voyageurs.org).
RIP John
I will miss you John. R.I.P
On behalf of the Forest Lake American Legion Post 225, we give thanks for John’s military service to our country.
The VanBergrens were our neighbors for 7 years, living across the street from them on Iverson Lane in Forest Lake. It was always a joy visiting and enjoying their company. John was always upbeat and energetic. It was fun joking with him, fishing, or sitting by a fire. We nicknamed John “The Mayor of Iverson!!!” You will be missed!!!
Rest In Peace Bro.
Rick
John was our neighbor for 9+year and was always fun to visit with him. He was so proud of himself the past few month that he was getting so good at walking again and was able to mow his lawn on his own or visit with everyone.
We will miss you John, Rest in peace and thank you for your service!
When we were kids, cousin John joined us at the cabin in Franconia on the St. Croix during the summer. We had such fun exploring the hills & valleys. All of us spent hours in the river swimming, jumping on large inner tubes, hunting for frogs, skipping stones, and laughing at our silly antics. As an adult, I bought a home in the same place and was pleasantly surprised when John paid a visit.
Joy remembered is a loving memory.
RIP Johnny VB
It was such a great pleasure taking care of your dad. He was such a great fun guy and I sure will miss him.
Anita. Synergy Home Care
My wife, children and I were neighbors across the street from John, Nancy, Joe and Angie, at North Iverson. I remember many fun times with our visits….and none of them were boring. John had quite the sense of humor. Once, on a hot summer day right after the 4th of July, John was in his garage, and I had a few relatives visiting, and we had an all-out bottle rocket battle, shooting bottle-rockets back and forth with John. We were strategizing, laughing and going at it — until one of us ran out of supplies. Then, we all came to the front lawns and drank beer. My wife was mowing our lawn one day, and Nancy came over and told her to stop doing that, the ladies on the block were starting to feel pressure from their husbands to start mowing their lawns. John and Nancy had a pair of nice snowmobiles, and I was looking at them in the garage with John and he said — “Go get your winter clothes on, we can go for a little ride.” I did, thinking we would go a few miles and come back. Well, next thing I know, we are north of North Branch, and this was a little jaunt for John. One October, I went to John’s front door and was dressed in a scary Halloween mask and outfit. I could see the whole family was at the supper table. I quietly opened the door and snuck up to the table.
I growled, and as I stood right by John — he started shaking and couldn’t speak cause he was so startled. I then turned and took off my mask, and was quickly exiting. He was yelling — “I’ll get you back when you least suspect it Maki!!!” Well, shortly after, Kathy was cooking in the kitchen, cooking a fancy meal, and John ran into the house and put her over his shoulder and ran out the door saying he will bring her back after she cooks the same meal for him. He was energetic, humorous, hard working and a great guy to have had the pleasure of knowing. R.I.P. John!!! With positive Memories– Kathy, Jerry, Jerry IInd, and Missy.